Apparatus for copying by means of machine tools



R. GLASER Fel 2o, 1951 APPARATUS FOR COPYING BY MEANS OF MACHINE TOOLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March l5, 1943 R. GLASER Feb. 20, 1951 2,542,507

I APPARATUS FOR COPYING BY MEANS OF MACHINE TOOLS s Shets-Sheet 2 Original Filed March 13, 1943 R. GLASER Feb. 20, 1951 APPARATUS FOR COPYING BY MEANS 0F MACHINE TOOLS S Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed March 13, 1943 v WEE IV//// 4 Patented Feb. 20, 1951 APPARATUS FOR-COPYINGBY MEANS 0F MACHINE TOOLS- Rolf Glaser, Rorschach, Rigid 'Lim'ited,jR0rsch substitnted' for abandon tember 11, .194F7,=Serial land January 8, 1942 Switzerland, assignorlto. acherherg, Switzerland ed 'application Serial Nor This application Sept Nomi-$453. .InSwitzer- Section"1,,Pub'lic'Law 690, August 8, 1946" 'Patent' expires January 85 1962 The present invention relates toasmethod a of and-apparatus for. copying, by'means of'fmachine tools which operateunder the control ofcontrol templates-or patterns in=accordance =with a coordinate system, for actuating the slide drives of the-machinetool for feeding the .tool in ataleast twodirections of-said coordinate system.

Copy-ingapparatus of this kind are known in which-the tracers-are urged against the-control patterns by hydraulically operated actuating p1ungersfor--theslide drives. In sucharrangements the pressure-at which thetracersare-urged against thecontrol patterns is obviously very large, so that the -control -patterns :must be made of very hard andex-tremel-y tenacious material; which is difiicult to work, and nevertheless wear down-prematurely; Furthermore, the drawback ensues that onreminding the tool" the control patternsmust -be=correspondinglyaltered in-order to obtain accurate -formof the work.

These 1 drawbacks are eliminated l b means of the method :andapparatusaccording to the present invention.

The apparatus--accordingwto the inventionis characterized by tracer means cooperating with associated control patternsforfeeding-the-works; ing tool. in two .-directions of theecoordinateasys Y tem, hydraulic slidedrivesactuated by control slide valvesgcontrolled' from said" tracers; an'el a; master tracer cooperating with an originalpat, tern, said original pattern having a; form andsi-z'e conforming to the-truecopy form of --the work to be produced, for controlling said slide-valves supplementarily to the control thereof by' saidcontrolpatterns;

lnwthe apparatusfor carrying the method into efifecttracers controlled by the control 1 patterns cooperate with control slide valves for-hydraulic slide drives so as to requirearelatively small pressureof the tracer upon thecontrol"patterns and allowing thense of control patterns that ca'n be easily worked and are less susceptible to wear; Further an original pattern-having a form and size exactly-conforming to themeasurements prescribed fer the work tozbe=machined is provided in association with a master-tracerfor influencing the 'controlslidevalves also. The-control patterns can be-made; thin steel sheet metal whichcan be easily-workedi A further advantageous constructionof sucha, copying apparatus; consists in' that "the-' control patterns arearranged to cooperate vyvith" the control slide valve; in. elastically resilient manner-and? aresoconstructed' as :toimpart LtQJthB tool holder. and to1-the holder-urethra "master 'tra-cer a travel for example of unhardened travell-cannotihavea detrimental influence ion the form ofthe work, but is .providedlfor the purpose I of permittingirregrinding the. 'tooliinaans amount corresponding. to the surplus 1 travel without. im pairine.'-the+ copying operation By thismeans thcccontrol=patter11s Whichere relativelycdifllcnlt to be produced, and must havelarcertainirrela tionship be workedrintorexactly. trueeform as sf-unctiorring merelyxtolefiect the slideifeed; Moreover, .if.SWea1' onthertool occursa-ll thatzisnecessary tozbeidone is to alter the master tracer, While the control patternsremainuunchangecl;

In theiaccompanying drawings; .an:embodiment of the inventionistillustrated: by way of example only; in which,

Fig: 1: shows anlelevation of .acopyingtappae ratus; according to r. the: invention.- in connection with a milling machine;-

Fig,.2 :is' a top plan-view offFigyl; and.

Fig; 3shows assideielevation thereof;

Fig'rAi isan elevationalzview'oistheioriginal pate. ternvinclusiveiof the:carrier:thereoriand;ithemase tertracer;

vFig: 5.:israsectionaon1the linexv -u -v ofzEig- A;

.Fligrfii is :a rsectionrofzi:alcasing including any-- lindrica-l @guide for theecontrol means -for effect, inglthe m'ovement'lvof the zlongitudmallslida:

Fig; 7xisasection ofa cylinder for eflecting and controlling the acrossslide;

Rigs. 8 and 9 representsections (motile-respectivellines VIH.VIII..and IXe-IXdn Fig.1 75;.

Fig. 10islalsectiongthroughthe original :pattern and cooperativemaster. tracer-forrthreeedimene sionahcontrol ofztheslidedrives;

:Eig; lltzshowsaan elevation partially drama-in: perspective. of. their presentzcopying machine; in combination'iwitha .device :for controlling: verti -L cal scopying 'movementseas ;discloseds.in;the-U."S; A; PatentiNo; 2250 241, and:

Figs. 12,;13randll41are views of details of the present copyingmachine.

On arsupporting :memberrr displaceablyaguidedronthe standards! =of;the.pres;.= entmi-lling machine a longitudinal .slidexa'is hori: zontallyxgu-ided: Onethis-slide. is;arrangedta supa port?! for the worst 5: 'Eurther ,n0ni:the :longitue dinal .s1ide..3;:acarrier *B fon anuoriginal pattern ltisr arrangedscthe form-and size of which pattern exactly conforms sto.thessurfacezofzthe work mo;

be machined. TheipatternJ coacts witlra master tozeachother. in regardrto form neednot which is "vertically;-

tracer 41. On the carrier 6, on both ends of each of two pins 59, a link 60 is mounted (Figs. 4, 5) which links are further mounted on two associated pins 6| in the original template 1 and by which means the original pattern 1 is longitudinally arranged for horizontal movement in either direction which movement will be produced if the tracer 41 contacts the pattern 1. By two stop screws 63 that are screwed into projections 62 on the carrier 6 the range of longitudinal movement of the original pattern 1' is restricted to a short distance in either direction ofmovement. This short .distance corresponds always exactly to respective required control movement of a double acting control slide valve 9 hereinafter described. This valve which is horizontally movable and extends into a casing ID, is connected for its actuating with the original pattern I through a connecting member or rod 8. When the original pattern I due to coaction with the master tracer 41 ismoved relative to the carrier 5 the slide valve 9 is correspondingly moved. By this means the double acting slide valve 9 is influenced to perform relative movements originating from a control pattern 25. The portion of the control slide valve 9 extending into the casing i9 is provided with a control bore 64 and control slots 65, 65 (Fig. 6) which cooperate with annular spaces 61, 68 in the slide valve casing ill for controlling a pressure fluid. The Spaces 6.1, 58 communicate with pipe connections 69, I for the reception of pressure fluid conduits l I, [2. The bore 64 of the valve 9 communicates with a discharge conduit IS. The other ends of the pipes H, l2 are connected to a pump system generally designated by P.

' A cylinder I is secured to the longitudinal slide 3 (Fig. 2) and the piston rod I! of a double acting piston l8, which is contained in the cylinder 15, is fixed to the supporting member 2. By a control movement of the control slide valve 9 in one or. the other direction pressure fluid will flow from the respective annular space 61 or 68 through the corresponding control slots 65 or 66 into the discharge conduit i6, whereby the pressure fluid in the: pressure .conduits. concerned and also the respective. ends of the piston are relieved of pres-.-' sure. By this means the cylinder i5'and thus thelongitu'dinal slide 3 is correspondingly adjusted until the control slots 55, 56 of the slide valve .9 assume a symmetrical disposition to the annular spaces 61, 68 again. Due to the connecting rod 8 the pattern 1 lies in this position in the middle between the stop screws 63.

:In the slide valve control rod 9 are fastened two bolts. l9 which are influenced by springsZU for acting from both sides upon a pivotal arm 2| which is swingably mounted on a pin 22 extending through said rod (Figs. 12 and 13) and carries at its free end a tracer roller 23 which engages into a cam groove 24 in a control pattern 25; Consequently the control slide valve for the longitudinal movement is elastically resiliently connected with the tracer cooperating with the curved groove 24 in the control pattern 25, which tracer is constituted by the roller 23., The purpose of the elastic connection is to permit exact control or supervision by means connected with the original pattern I. A shaft 26 on which this pattern is mounted further carries a worm wheel 2'! which is driven by a ratio gearing (3P) which is arranged in the supporting member through the 4 shaft 33, which is extensible in the manner of a telescopic shaft, is driven as well as a worm wheel 35 via a worm 34, the worm wheel being carried by a stub shaft 36 in common with a second control pattern 31. By this means the two control patterns 25, 31 are positively coupled together so as to turn at the same speed, so that to any point of the cam groove of one control pattern a certain point of the cam groove of the other control pattern corresponds. With the cam grooves 38 of the control pattern 31 (Fig. 3) cooperates a tracer roller 39 which is mounted on a transversely displaceable rod 40 which carries a projection 4| the two sides of which are each acted upon by bolts 42. These two bolts 42, each of which is influenced by a spring 43 (Fig. 14), are mounted in a forked portion 44 of a roller supported carriage 45 which is transversely displace- I ably guided by a cantilever arm 46 of the mathe intermediary of a worm 28, a shaft 29, a bevel" chine standard i. On this carriage 45 the master tracerll cooperating with the original pattern 1 is arranged. The roller supported carriage 45 is further connected with a rod 48 which is fastened by means of a connecting member 49 to a slide valve actuating rod 50.

The rod 50 is arranged within a hollow piston rod 5| (Fig. 2) which is provided with a longitudinal slot into which the member 49 projects. The piston rod 51 is connected to a piston 52 which is arranged within a cylinder 53 and with whichcooperates the slide valve actuating rod 50 which to this end is provided with control slots 1| which communicate with a bore 72 of the rod 50 (Figs. 7 and 9). With the bore 12 communicates the discharge conduit 56 for the pressure fluid which is conducted toward both ends of the piston 52 through conduits 54, 55. This hollow piston rod 5! is further provided with slots 13 (Fig. 8) which permit of the pressure fluid being conducted toward the slide valve actuating rod 56 or the control slots II on the respective piston side. In adjusting the slide valve actuating rod 50 in one or other direction pressure fluid is discharged on the respective side of the piston through the control slots H, bore 12, and discharge conduit 56, so that the end of the piston concerned is relieved and the piston adjusted until it is symmetrically disposed to the control slots H in the. valve actuating rod 58 again.

The piston rod 5| is connected with the trans.- verse slide 5! on which the tool 58 in the form'- of a cylindrical milling cutter serving for the machining of the work 5 is arranged. The diam-' eter of themaster tracer 41 is equal to that of the tool 58. On regrinding of the tool 58, therefore, exclusively a master tracer 41'Df correspondingly smaller diameter must-be used in order to obtain a work piece of exactly the same form as the original pattern 1.

The control pattern 25v serves for controlling,

the slide 3 and the control pattern 31 for controle.

ling theslide5l.

The two control patterns :25, 31 are so formed that the master tracer 41 is automatically guided. longitudinally of the original pattern'and is at:

all times urged against the latter substantially at the same pressure, while the tracer roller which.

is influenced by the control pattern 25, resiliently.

cooperates with the master tracer 4'1.

The obtainment of a substantially uniform" pressure at which the master tracer 4'! bears against the original pattern I is due to the surplus travel. being evenly distributed to the con-*- irpi; tun s, .2 at; 31.. iall l-i i r e surp us rave per o med attheon ro curves 2 end- 37 would; tense them il d. t rm. o. in: crease n si e rovid d. thetnomeens .fe preentinsthi ree-r ens tt s ehmeens may onsistot wotboitszt whieh rea reneed; onhe tiesefiiie d: err-against thS -PI J'Q tiQiM I. h .displeeee ie oths des i o i n oicthei es anz lest eeliv res lien i nn e. tween t ecerriage .5 hi i ro ision hes rpl pa terns, have e; hiil e mille b ee ise.. i h ;pre e ne ti hbeti e th ar ie e 4. di'h 5d R a le-roos I the ab ent. oi horis ha 'pettern theon ved ree s i he ...oni ro1;pett hs 5.

pattern. carrier; 6: inr he satnet ireetionih the left-hand position of the limite W en surplus movement arises, the roller 23 urges, g e left hand spring together with the sliderresilntlya ds le t; il the race rides upwards towards the rightehand end of th 01 inal pattern I, so that the relative-movement f j hsm t tot e lide valv trol od 9 v ath od B i tmee s, the-fluid that the surplus movement of the control ou rve 3'! relative to theroller 39, directly influences and 3 which r keo erete. so.- as to; er orm as spr n s tia d' a The ma ter re er husa uurp us tr vel nd a e oord nated wi h eeh lly s o nt e einst he ohnoI he o g: other, ,Wo ltir neompe-ss heieon ehroi the m del hel. att rn. he e y v con rol he. ontrol h to becopied; with a certain uniform clearance Valve exclusivelycomrr ensnratewith tl es that is, the size of the work piece would become mensions The influencing of tl e c ntrol s11 too reat. tr v b e est r tre err s ossi ei ithout n e er, when t e master tracer 41 bears fie ins het e rs ztlsaansi heieurvedgropves against the original pattern I the longitudinal e 9 01 lide patteKhfi, 31, duetethe pres;- and the transverse direction as well, the surplus ence of the springs 29, and .43. Surplugn'roye travel of the control: curves and 31 (sur lus I t, .,P V d Cl ormak itpossiblert eiiectr veLin; re ard t the ig nal, pattern) s om p ia ha eshe pen dtoolwi. pensated by; action of theresilient mounting of n Q S r ng e. curv d IQ9.V,.. the;irli: the tracer rollers Hand 39 mated-without Sharpening beingpossible up to an am nt-cor;- the possibility of being transm tted to the-master responding to the extent of surplus movement; tracer 41).: Depending upon the-position of the The original pattern 1 defines the a urate master tracer intheorjginal pattern, the direcform of the work piecet e ilIhmadh-so-that tion of the displacing movement of the slides 3 there s n ss y for m ohin n -thecontrol and Fil -can be controlled byone or the other cone patterns 3 7 o, a curate form, because;- the trpl ourve or it mayiha-ppenthat both, control resilient n c ehsa es.all inaccu acies curv s erform s r lus ravels atthe ame-tim f h d e h m l yment of dbh ieaetins Sine hemaster racer. ;is reven om-trens- 4 o t l slide a s; w h bvieu v hsume nly gressing the limit of the interior of the original a ac on of the driv ng power required by the pattern 1, but is urged against the form of the sli s, th pr s u r d o th pat er s by original pattern at a small constant pressure at the tracers in relatively small, for example y all times, equality of size of the original pattern about 2 o that the t ol patterns can be d of t work piece i t i d This is due 59 made of unhardened, thin steel sheet metal which to the fact that first the described resilience of can easily be Workede mo e, th o i al connection between the rod and the carriage pattern n be manufactured with ease a d can 45 is realized b the pressure of the springbe Conveniently a if qu dpressed bolts 42 and, secondly the same condition In 11 0 the d awi gs, showing the p esent exists at the lever arm 2| which also is subjected milling machine in combination with a vertical to spring pressure. In spite of this the original yi d vice, the reference numerals used corpattern controls the control slide inolosed in the respond t those mpl y d in th ther figures. casing in, since the carrier 6 of the original pat- In this schematically a ed 01d matter, retern I is adapted to performasmall limited movelating to a Vertical opy evice, as disclosed ment relative to the slide 3 and is connected by in the U. Patent 2 2 y the es the rod 8 with the slide valve actuating rod 9. sential parts have been n ra ly d si nated, as By means of the connecting rod 8 an adjusting followsoperation of th u valve actuating rod 9 is f The character A denotes the direction of the fected in t casing 1, when t tracer in control impulses resulting from the movement of touches the original pattern 1 in the longitudinal the tracer 47 y op t on of the latter with the direction while the control pattern 25 performs Original Pattern se impulses are transmita surplus travel relative to the original pattern ted to the control System C f h vic through by action of the curve 24, through the roller 23 a a t B which p m c r sp ndi r tabeing resiliently connected to the original pattiOnal movements- A pressure d y em D tern. a which is associated with the control system op- The described effect is obtained, when controlerates to transmit the vertical impulses efiected ling of the slide 3 takes place by cooperation of by the tracer to the supporting member 2 and the control slide valve actuating rod 9 with the thus to the slide 3 and to the original pattern 1 control curve 25, while the slide 3 moves for exsecured to said slide. ample to the left. The rod 8 pulls the original This application is a substitute for my app]!- cation Serial No. 479,104, filed on March 13, 1943,' now abandoned. I claim:

1. Apparatus for copying a pattern by machine tools comprising, a pattern having roughly the general shape of the work desired to produce, a feeler for engaging said rough pattern to be moved thereby, a tool for shaping a work piece, connection means between said feeler and said tool for imparting movement to the tool, said connection means including elastic means for allowing minor deviations of the tool movements from the guidance imparted by the said feeler, a second pattern having a shape more exactly corresponding to the desired shape of the work to be produced, a second feeler for engaging the second pattern to be guided thereby, and motion transmitting means connected with the tool for superimposing a control on the motion imparted thereto from the first pattern and its feeler' to cause the tool to move with more exactness with respect to the shape to be given the work,'whereby the greater amount of wear on the patterns Occurs onthe said roughly shaped pattern.

2. A copying machine tool, comprising a first slide carrying the workpiece and movable in one direction, a second slide carrying the tool and movable in a second direction, hydraulic slide ;-firives for driving the two slides, control slide 1, valves for controlling the said hydraulic slide drives, a first control pattern having a shape conforming to the movement of the first slide, a first control tracer engaging the said first control pattern, elastically yielding connection means be tween the first control tracer and the slide valve of the first slide, a second control pattern having a shape conforming to the movement of the second slide, a second control tracer engaging the said second control pattern, elastically yielding connection means between the second control tracer and the slide valve of the second slide, an original pattern having a shape conforming exactly to the true copy of the workpiece to be produced and arranged on the said second slide, and connection means between the original pat- 8. tern and the comm slide valve or the 'first slid and between the master tracer and the control slide valve of the second slide. 7 3. A copying machine tool, comprising a lon-l gitudinal slide carrying the workpiece, a transverse slide carrying the machine tool, hydraulic slide drives for driving the longitudinal and the transverse slides, control slide valves for controlling the said hydraulic slide drives, a first control pattern having a shape conforming to the movement of the longitudinal slide, a first control tracer engaging the said first control pattern, elastically yielding connection means between the first control tracer and the slide valve of the lon gitudinal slide, a second control patternhaving a shape conforming to the-movement of the trans verse slide, a second control tracer engaging-the said second control pattern, elastically yielding connection means between the second control tracer and the slide valve of the transverse slide;- an original pattern having a shape conforming exactly to the true copy of the workpiece to be produced and arranged on the said transverse slide, and connection means between the original pattern and the control slide valve of the longi tudinal slide and between the master tracer and the control slide valve of the transverse slide.

' ROLF GLASER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Mar. 7, 19st 

